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Spoelstra, Whiteside downplay sideline conversation

Erik Spoelstra pulled Hassan Whiteside for almost a minute in the second quarter Wednesday for a sideline conversation. (Getty Images)

Erik Spoelstra pulled Hassan Whiteside for almost a minute in the second quarter Wednesday for a sideline conversation. (Getty Images)

Was this anything?

Hassan Whiteside was playing decently well early in tonight’s Heat loss at Milwaukee, but Erik Spoelstra pulled him unexpectedly with 8:14 left in the second quarter before sending him back in 47 seconds later.

As soon as Whiteside sat down, Spoelstra knelt next to his chair and started talking to him. Both sides were evasive when asked about the conversation.

“That was just something between me and him,” said Spoelstra, who declined two follow-ups after that.

Spoelstra seemed like he was beginning to explain the issue when asked about Whiteside’s play, but he quickly shifted to discussing the broader letdown.

“He had some minutes where he helped us in the paint very well,” Spoelstra said of Whiteside before changing course. “We have to keep on moving forward. This was not one of our better games. We have to keep moving forward.”

Whiteside offered nothing except that the issue was resolved.

“We didn’t have a conflict,” he said. “We had a conversation. There wasn’t a conflict between me and Spo.”

One player said it was an issue of Whiteside not being in the right spots defensively and it was quickly cleared up.

Whether connected or not, Spoelstra kept Whiteside on the bench a little longer than usual to open the third quarter. Whiteside usually comes off the bench six minutes into the first and third, but Spoelstra did not call on him until 4:23 left.

“It’s Coach Spo’s decision,” Whiteside said.” I’m just here to play. Whatever Coach Spo decides, I just go with it… He didn’t say anything about why I went in late.”

Asked whether these situations with him and Spoelstra are being handled better than they were early in his time with the Heat, Whiteside replied, “I’m just here to play. Whatever he says, I just go out there and do it and try to do it to the best of my abilities. I try to rebound and block shots and dunk on people. I just try to be the best Hassan Whiteside I can be on the court.”